Chan Zuckerberg Initiative unveils community space

CZI is a philanthropic organization founded in 2015 by Dr. Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg that each year awards grants to local organizations working on issues including housing affordability, education, disease research and criminal justice reform.

Chan said she was pleased to open the community space to organizations leading efforts to strengthen the community and support neighbors.

“We really hope this space takes off. We’d love it to be a vibrant place where community members get to work together,” she said.

The community amenity was conceived in response to requests from the community and a well-documented dearth of meeting space for nonprofits in the region.

“This space was created in response to a common need across many of our local partners — access to affordable, convenient, high-quality space,” Christina Huezo, Director, CZI Community, said in a press release. “From educational trainings to convenings, collaborative meetings and community programming, we hope that organizations will have many opportunities to use the community space.” 

The space can be reserved on weekdays for free for anywhere from an hour to a day at a time while certain events may be able to book multiple days. Membership is open to nonprofits based in San Mateo County that serve its residents and only the standard proof of insurance is required to make a reservation. 

“The goal is that it’s a low barrier to entry and that people can actually focus on maximizing use of the space while they’re here,” said Darnell Cadette, manager, CZI Community. CZI is asking that organizations in the county use the space just once per quarter while Redwood City-based organizations can use it once a month. “This is our home, our backyard, so there’s preference for Redwood City organizations, but by having those limitations we’re hoping that that makes the space accessible for more groups.” 

Each conference room is equipped with TV screens, video conferencing, projectors and also AV support if needed. One of the conference rooms seats 20 but can accommodate more if needed be while the other has room for 12.

The main event room features foldable bleachers, and there are high-top tables for receptions as well as round tables for luncheons or conferences. There is also a kitchenette, catering kitchen, two private phone booths, a printer and restrooms with a mothers’ room.

“We tried to make the space quite flexible so it’s responsive to what any organization might need in the room,” said Cadette.

The rest of the building is home to CZI’s offices. About 400 employees work there, including Chan, and in another building in the city.

“I’m here every day,” Chan said. “My day to day varies, but I’m either in the community talking to our grantees, managing our teams internally and working on building the way we work at CZI.

“We love Redwood City, it feels vibrant, it’s bustling. One thing we really value about Redwood City is it seems like a pocket where folks from across the socioeconomic spectrum can still call it home, though it’s not easy,” she added. “We see ourselves staying in here for a long time and this is just one example of how we want to contribute and give back.” 

zachary@smdailyjournal.com

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